Kno Introduces Groundbreaking Digital Textbook and Learning Platform
That Helps College Students “Break Free” from the Drudgery of Studying

The Sleek Two-Panel, Touch-Screen Tablet Takes Education into the
Digital World with a Fully Interactive Experience That is Engaging and
Fun

June 02, 2010 01:55 PM Eastern Daylight Time

PALOS VERDES, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, at the D8 2010 Conference, Kno, Inc. will debut its
groundbreaking digital textbook and dynamic learning platform
specifically designed for college students. Kno, short for knowledge, is
a unique two-panel, touch-screen tablet that blends textbooks, course
material, note-taking, web access, educational applications, digital
media, sharing and more into a more powerful and engaging educational
experience. Kno was developed on open web technologies that welcome the
publisher and developer communities and opens the door to unprecedented
innovation in education. Its platform provides the opportunity to create
new revenue streams for publishers and developers of content that can be
delivered electronically to students.

Kno combines the best of the analog and digital worlds with specific
capabilities for students that no other eReader, tablet, or computer can
offer. It replicates the true book experience by fully preserving the
publishers’ carefully defined page structure. Complex charts and graphs
are presented in the same manner as a physical textbook, which allow
students to interact, take notes and highlight directly on the page.
Each side of its innovative, two-panel interface operates independently
from each other, enabling students to use both panels to display a book,
or view a book on one panel and open their browser or digital notebook
on the other.

Kno offers full browser support, enabling students to consume digital
media, such as video or links to other web content without leaving the
textbook environment. Students can also access their email accounts and
for example, send coursework to their professors. Kno supports Flash,
HTML5, PDF and ePub content, the underlying technologies of most
publishers.

Beyond providing a more effective and efficient learning environment,
Kno is profoundly practical. Kno eliminates the need for students to
carry heavy textbooks, course materials, notebooks, calculators and
pens, offering a lighter and more economical alternative to a
back-breaking backpack.

“Today’s college students have grown up in a digital world and are
comfortable consuming digital media and content via the web and portable
devices. By bringing that experience to their education, Kno will
transform the way they learn,” said Osman Rashid, Chief Executive
Officer and Co-Founder. “With the help of publishers and developers, we
know we can create a thriving ecosystem to benefit students and the
entire education system.”

Kno, Inc. is working with the top publishers to ensure availability of
required textbooks and course materials for students by product launch
later this year. As an example of that, Kno announced today that it has
established strategic relationships with leading higher education
publishers Cengage Learning, McGraw Hill Education, Pearson and Wiley to
launch a student beta program in fall 2010 with a number of universities
and colleges across the U.S. Additionally, further distribution and
pricing details will be announced over the next few months.

Additionally, Kno is currently working with developers and it will come
bundled with a variety of innovative, education-focused applications.
Simultaneously with the full product launch, Kno.com will offer a store
for developers to host and sell their applications and for students to
download textbooks and course materials.

“Our education-focused product is inspiring developers to create a whole
set of innovative applications that leverage students course content,
touch technology, video and Kno’s hand-writing interface,” said Babur
Habib, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder. “Every subject –
science, math, literature, history – will be enriched by new learning
tools that will add excitement and discovery for students.”

Kno, Inc. is fundamentally changing the way students learn, by offering
new ways to digitally consume, organize, create and share knowledge. Kno
is a transformative two-panel tablet that artfully blends the intuitive
experience of the conventional textbook with a rich digital world of
video, note-taking, sharing and more. Its open platform encourages
publishers and developers to create and distribute innovative education
applications and content. Kno, Inc. was founded in May 2009 by Osman
Rashid, co-founder of Chegg and Babur Habib, a consumer electronics
veteran. Kno has a world-class team of management from Apple, Cisco, HP,
Intel, TiVo, Chegg and Palm. The company has received funding from
Andreessen Horowitz, First Round Capital, Maples and Ron Conway and is
based in Santa Clara, California. Follow Kno at: http://twitter.com/GoodtoKNO.